


Shadows

by multifanfictual



Category: Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Angst, Character Study, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22165492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifanfictual/pseuds/multifanfictual
Summary: Super short, super angsty character exploration piece. Delves into Cal's conflicted feelings over Maven during War Storm and after the conclusion of the books. Sort of like Cal's POV for Farewell (Broken Throne). Meant to be a one-shot, but if people want more I might write a sequel.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Shadows

Tiberias Calore VII was not afraid of many things.

But by his colors, the dark scared him shitless.

It hadn’t always been that way. The dark had been nice. Quiet. Peaceful, if not anything else. He liked to slow down and reflect. And after all, he had a constant source of light and heat at his beck and call should he grow tired of it.

But now, after everything, he couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand how alone it made him feel. Couldn’t stand how, when he reflected on his life, all he saw was the darkness now inside him. Couldn’t stand how he would wake from nightmares crying and shaking and reach for Mare only to find that the other side of his bed was empty and cold.

And, of course, he couldn’t stand how it reminded him of Maven.

In a state between sleeping and waking, Cal often recalled fuzzy memories of his childhood, forever suspended in a time that no longer felt real. Glimpses of nights spent huddled under plush blankets with his Mavey at his side made frequent showings. Maven had been afraid of the dark when they were little and had taken to scrambling under the protection of his older brother. Cal had pretended to be annoyed by it, but he secretly loved it. Until one night, when Maven’s fear was just ... gone. One of the many things Elara had taken from him.

Cal wondered where he fell on that list.

Sometimes, Cal wondered if Maven had ever really loved him at all.

After everything Maven had done, the monster he had proven himself to be, it shouldn’t have been hard to believe. But Cal was positive that once upon a time, even if it had been fleeting, he had known his brother. Not everything had been a lie. But Elara poisoned his mind, twisting his insides until no trace of the gentle boy was left. And Cal had done nothing to stop her. In that way, he was more similar to what his brother had become than he liked to admit.

Maybe that thought scared him more than the dark.

No. He had made mistakes, but nothing near what Maven had done. He forced himself to wake up every day and keep going. To follow the obligations and duties he was born to fulfill. To choose the crown over and over despite the fact that it was killing him inside. Sacrifice was all he knew anymore. All he could do in tribute to the brother he left behind long before he realized it had happened.

The guards never complained, never asked about it. It wasn’t even lit. Couldn’t be, in the prison of Silent Stone.

So many things grew brighter over the years. The end of war. Cal’s reunion with Mare, their marriage, their children. Dreams of equality and fairness come true.

And yet, the untouched candle still sat in the corner of the cell long after Maven drew his final breath.

  
  



End file.
